Marina Prior (born 18 October 1963) is an Australian soprano and actress with a career mainly in musical theatre. From 1990 to 1993, she starred as the original Christine Daaé in the Australian premiere of ''

The Phantom of the Opera The Phantom of the Opera may refer to: Novel * The Phantom of the Opera (novel), ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (novel), 1910 novel by Gaston Leroux Characters * Erik (The Phantom of the Opera), Erik (''The Phantom of the Opera''), the title char ...

'', opposite Anthony Warlow and later Rob Guest.

Early life

Prior was born in

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...

in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea, Australia, where her father was working in the shipping industry. Her parents were members of the local Gilbert and Sullivan Society. The family returned to Australia when she was a young child and she grew up in Melbourne, where she attended Syndal South Primary School and Korowa Anglican Girls' School. She began to take singing lessons at the age of twelve and also learnt piano, flute and guitar. In 1982 Prior started studying for a

Bachelor of Music A Bachelor of Music (BMus; sometimes conferred as Bachelor of Musical Arts) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. The degree may be awarded for performance, music ed ...

degree at the Melbourne State College (which later became a faculty of the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

). To raise money, she worked in coffee shops and tried busking. In September 1983 she auditioned for the Victoria State Opera production of ''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 3 ...

''. She was cast as "Mabel" and this started her career in musical theatre. Initially she had tried out for the chorus, she reflected "When they told me it was 'Mabel' I nearly fainted ... I could not believe it ... It was like a fairy tale". She deferred her studies due to performance and "touring commitments".

Theatre career

In 1984 Prior was "Guinevere" in the Australian production of ''

Camelot Camelot is a legendary castle and Royal court, court associated with King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described ...

'' with

Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. Having studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, he rose to prominence as an icon of the British New Wave. He received numerous a ...

. In 1985, she performed the dual roles of "Jellylorum" and "Griddlebone" in the Australian premiere production of ''

Cats The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

''. In 1987, she appeared as "Josephine" opposite Paul Eddington in Gilbert and Sullivan's ''

H.M.S. Pinafore ''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London on 25 May 1878, and ran for 571 performances, w ...

'', as "Kathy" in ''

The Student Prince ''The Student Prince'' is an operetta in a prologue and four acts with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly. It is based on Wilhelm Meyer-Förster's play ''Old Heidelberg (play), Old Heidelberg''. The piece has a scor ...

'' at the Lyric Opera in Brisbane and as "Hope Harcourt" in '' Anything Goes''. This was followed by " Cosette" and the Australian premiere production of ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...

'' opposite

Normie Rowe Norman John Rowe (born 1 February 1947) is an Australian singer and songwriter. He rose to national prominence in the mid-1960s as a pop star and teen idol, backed by The Playboys. His 1965 double A-side " Que Sera Sera"/" Shakin' All Over" w ...

, Philip Quast,

Simon Burke Simon Gareth Burke (born 8 October 1961) is an Australian actor, active in films, television and theatre. Biography Simon Burke began his career at the age of 12, starring in Michael Cove's ''Kookaburra'' (1974); a painful look at a dysfuncti ...

, and Anthony Warlow in Melbourne. She later played "

Fantine Fantine (French pronunciation: ) is a fictional character in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. She is a young ''Grisette (person), grisette'' in Paris who is impregnated by a rich student. After he abandons her, she is forced to look ...

" in the same musical in Sydney. From 1990 to 1993, she starred as the original " Christine Daaé" in the Australian premiere of ''

'', opposite Warlow and later Rob Guest. This was followed by roles in many major productions, including "Maria" in ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...

'', "Lily" in ''

The Secret Garden ''The Secret Garden'' is a children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published in book form in 1911, after serialisation in ''The American Magazine'' (November 1910 – August 1911). Set in England, it is seen as a classic of English c ...

'' opposite Warlow and Quast (1995), "Magnolia" in ''

Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 Show Boat (novel), novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the per ...

'' (1998) and the title role in ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' ( ) is an operetta by the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The Libretto, librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein (writer), Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's ...

'' (1999). Other appearances include "Miss Adelaide" in ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical theater, musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Run ...

'' (2000); the title role in '' Annie Get Your Gun'' (2004), both in staged concert versions with The Production Company; in 2003 in

John Misto John Misto (born 13 October 1952) is an Australian playwright and screenwriter. He graduated with an Arts/Law degree from the University of New South Wales, and then practised as a lawyer before changing his career to concentrate on working as a ...

's play ''Harp on the Willow'' ("Mary O'Hara") at the

Ensemble Theatre The Ensemble Theatre is an Australian theatre company and theatre, situated in the Sydney suburb of Kirribilli, New South Wales. History It is Australia's longest continuously running professional theatre group, having given its first perfor ...

, Sydney; as "Jane Smart" in ''

The Witches of Eastwick ''The Witches of Eastwick'' is a 1984 novel by American writer John Updike. A sequel, '' The Widows of Eastwick'', was published in 2008. Plot The story, set in the fictional Rhode Island town of Eastwick in the early 1970s, follows the witc ...

'' (2002); and as "Belinda Blair" in ''

Noises Off ''Noises Off'' is a 1982 farce by the English playwright Michael Frayn. Frayn conceived the idea in 1970 while watching from the wings a performance of '' The Two of Us'', a farce that he had written for Lynn Redgrave. He said, "It was funni ...

'' (2003). Prior performed in the Australian premiere of ''

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee ''The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee'' is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by William Finn, with a book written by Rachel Sheinkin, created by Rebecca Feldman with additional material by Jay Reiss. The show centers on a fictional ...

'' with the

Melbourne Theatre Company The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1953 as the Union Theatre Repertory Company at the Union Theatre at the University of Melbourne, it is the oldest professional theatre com ...

and later with the

Sydney Theatre Company Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is an Australian theatre company based in Sydney, New South Wales. The company performs in the Wharf Theatre at Dawes Point in The Rocks area of Sydney as well as the Roslyn Packer Theatre (formerly Sydney Theatre ...

. She appeared as "Miss Adelaide" in ''Guys and Dolls'' at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne in March 2008 and with the Melbourne Theatre Company in '' The Hypocrite'' in November 2008. She reprised her role in ''Guys and Dolls'' from March 2009 in Sydney. Prior toured Australasia in 1994 with

José Carreras Josep Maria Carreras Coll (; born 5 December 1946), better known as José Carreras (, ), is a Catalan operatic tenor from Spain who is particularly known for his performances in the operas of Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Born in Barcelona, ...

. She has performed concerts with many Australian symphony orchestras. She is a regular performer at Melbourne's Carols by Candlelight and regularly appears at ''Opera in the Alps'' with David Hobson. She also appeared with Hobson at ''Opera by the Lock'' in

Mildura Mildura ( ) is a regional city in north-west Victoria, Australia. Located on the Victorian side of the Murray River, Mildura had a population of 34,565 at the 2021 census. When nearby Wentworth, Irymple, Nichols Point, Merbein and Red ...

, Victoria, in 2008. In 2011, Prior appeared as Mrs Banks in the Australian production of the musical ''

Mary Poppins Mary Poppins may refer to: * Mary Poppins (character), a nanny with magical powers * Mary Poppins (franchise), based on the fictional nanny ** Mary Poppins (book series), ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fanta ...

''. In 2012, she performed with David Hobson and James Morrison at the Leeuwin Estate Concert Series. In 2014, Marina played Grizabella in the world's largest production of ''

Cats (musical) ''Cats'' is a sung-through musical theater, musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It is based on the 1939 poetry collection ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' by T. S. Eliot. The musical tells the story of a tribe of cats called the Je ...

'' which featured over 800 performers on stage and played at the Brisbane Convention Centre. Prior performed in the most recent Australian production of ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...

'' as Baroness Schraeder. The production began its national tour in Sydney on 13 December 2015 and closed in Perth on 7 October 2016. From May 27 to 11 June 2017, Prior played the lead role of Dolly Levi in

The Production Company The Production Company was an Australian not-for-profit theatre company that staged a series of usually three musicals at the Arts Centre Melbourne each year. It was launched in 1999 by Jeanne Pratt AC with the goal of providing "professional o ...

's production of '' Hello, Dolly!''. She then joined the Melbourne Theatre Company's production of ''

Hay Fever Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of rhinitis, inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. It is classified as a Allergy, type I hypersensitivity re ...

'' from 23 September to 1 November 2017, starring as Judith Bliss. Following the closure of this production, it was announced that Prior will join the Melbourne cast of '' Dream Lover'' as the dual role of Polly Darin and Mary Douvan. She begins performing these roles from 27 December 2017. In November 2019 Prior was announced to headline as Violet Newstead in the Australian debut production of '' 9 to 5 The Musical'' whose premiere engagement - set for Sydney in April 2020 - would in fact, due to

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

concerns, be delayed for two years, the production premiering with a February to May 2022 engagement at Sydney's Capitol Theatre with subsequent engagements through the summer and autumn at the Lyric Theatre at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Melbourne's State Theatre, and the Festival Theatre at the Adelaide Festival Centre. Prior then co-starred in the dual role of Miss Andrews and the Bird Woman in the engagement of ''

'' which opened January 29 2023 at Melbourne's

Her Majesty's Theatre His Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated in the Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The building, designed by Charles J. Phipps, was constructed in 1897 for the actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who ...

where it is scheduled to run til April 2. In the spring of 2025, she portrayed Madame Thénardier in the Australia performances of the Arena Spectacular World Tour of ''

''. She’s set to reprise the role in the West End for the show’s 40th anniversary.

Television and recordings

In the 1990s, Prior recorded three albums accompanied by the

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is an Australian orchestra based in Melbourne. The MSO is resident at Hamer Hall. The MSO has its own choir, the MSO Chorus, following integration with the Melbourne Chorale in 2008. The MSO relies on fun ...

. ''

Leading Lady A leading actor, leading actress, or leading man or lady or simply lead (), plays a main role in a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person w ...

'', ''

Aspects of Andrew Lloyd Webber ''Aspects of Andrew Lloyd Webber'' is the second studio album by Australian singer Marina Prior featuring Melbourne Symphony Orchestra conducted by Brian Stacey. It was released in November 1992 and peaked at number 22 on the ARIA Charts, A ...

'' (which reached received an

ARIA In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...

nomination) and ''

Somewhere – The Songs of Sondheim and Bernstein ''Somewhere – The Songs of Sondheim and Bernstein'' is the third studio album by Australian singer Marina Prior featuring Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. The album is a tribute to the work of Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein. In 1994, Pri ...

''. Prior was a judge on both the 2006 and 2007

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

reality television series '' It Takes Two''. In 2012, Prior released her fourth studio album, '' Both Sides Now'', which peaked at number 42. This was followed by '' Encore'' and '' Candlelight Christmas'' in 2013 and a live album in 2014 '' Marina Prior Live''. In 2015, Prior starred in the television opera '' The Divorce''. In April 2016, Prior released ''

Together ''ToGetHer'' (, aka Superstar Express) is a 2009 Taiwanese drama starring Jiro Wang of Fahrenheit, Rainie Yang and George Hu. It was produced by Comic International Productions ( 可米國際影視事業股份有限公司) and directed by Linzi ...

'' with Mark Vincent. This has become her first top 5 album on the ARIA Chart.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Live albums

Cast recordings

* ''

'' (1985) * '' Anything Goes'' (1989) * ''

'' (1995) * ''

'' (2010) * '' The Divorce'' (original soundtrack) (2015)

Other

Prior was appointed 1996 Queen of Moomba by the Melbourne festival's committee. Marina Prior has been the Goodwill Ambassador for

Samaritan's Purse Samaritan's Purse is an evangelical Christian humanitarian aid organization that provides aid to people in physical need as a key part of its Christian missionary work. The organization's president is Franklin Graham, son of Christian evangelis ...

Australia since 2005. In this capacity she has visited several development projects in Asia, including schools, water projects and distribution of Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes. In 2009 she featured in "A Short Film About Shoe Boxes" to promote Samaritan's Purse and Operation Christmas Child.

Awards and nominations

Prior was appointed as a Member of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

in the 2023 King's Birthday Honours for "significant service to musical theatre as a singer and performer". Prior has received numerous awards; these include three

Green Room Awards The Green Room Awards are Australian peer awards which recognise excellence in cabaret, dance, theatre companies, independent theatre, musical theatre, contemporary and experimental performance, and opera. The awards, which were established in ...

(''Les Miserables'' in 1990, ''The Phantom of the Opera'' in 1991, and ''Kiss Me, Kate'' in 2005) and in 1993 the Advance Australia Award for her contribution to the performing arts. Prior was inducted into Australia's 100 Entertainers of the Century.

Helpmann Awards

The

Helpmann Awards The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001. The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical theatre ...

is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group ''Live Performance Australia'' since 2001. Note: 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the

. ! , - ,

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, Marina Prior - ''The Witches of Eastwick'' , Best Female Actor in a Musical , , , - ,

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, Marina Prior - ''The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee'' , Best Female Actor in a Musical , , , - ,

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, Marina Prior - ''Guys and Dolls'' , Best Female Actor in a Musical , , , - ,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, Marina Prior - ''Mary Poppins'' , Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical , , , - ,

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, Marina Prior - ''Dream Lover: The Bobby Darin Musical'' , Best Female Actor in a Musical , , , -

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the

Mo Awards The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known as the Mo Awards) were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were last awarded in 2016. ...

), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Marina Prior won three awards in that time. (wins only) , - , 1990 , Marina Prior , Female Musical Theatre Performer of the Year , , - , 1994 , Marina Prior , Female Musical Theatre Performer of the Year , , - , 2008 , Marina Prior , Brian Stacey Female Musical Theatre Performer of the Year , , -

Personal life

From 1991 Marina Prior was married to Peter Lowrey, also a musical theatre actor: they have three children;"Marina Prior's roller-coaster year"
by Colin Vickery, ''

Herald Sun The ''Herald Sun'' is a Conservatism, conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the American Rupert Murdoch, Murd ...

'' (21 December 2011) by 2012 she had married Grant Piro, an actor."Stars shine for Annie premiere"
by Luke Dennely, ''

'' (27 May 2012) Prior became a devout Christian in the late 1990s, she has worked for charity organisations,

(on their Operation Christmas Child) and

Vision Australia Vision Australia is a not-for-profit organization that acts as Australia's largest provider of services for blind or low vision people. Background Vision Australia was created in 2004 through the merger of the Royal Blind Society (RBS), the ...

's Carols by Candlelight.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Prior, Marina 1963 births People from the National Capital District (Papua New Guinea) Australian expatriates in Papua New Guinea Actresses from Melbourne Australian musical theatre actresses Australian operatic sopranos University of Melbourne alumni Living people Singers from Melbourne Members of the Order of Australia Australian Christians